Exhibition: Montreal’s industrial beauty

WHAT? “Bellazza Contrari,” an exhibition of photographs by Martin BérubéWHEN? Vernissage on Friday, April 24th, from 6pm to 10pm. Show runs until April 28thWHERE?Galerie Ouest, 37 St. Thomas, Ste. Anne de Bellevue (5 minutes from Ste. Anne train station), map

Ghost signs, old neon, peeling paint, all of it photographed in sumptuous black-and-white: Martin Bérubé knows how to make Montreal’s rough edges look good. His photos draw life from the lost and forgotten corners of the city. “I like to show people what they see everyday without really looking at the beauty of it, giving them a different point of view on [the] architecture or abandoned buildings they see day in and day out,” he tells me.

You can see Martin’s work in person at the Galerie Ouest, where his new show, “Bellezza Contrari,” will run until Tuesday the 28th. The vernissage will be held tomorrow; if you ask me, it’s worth the trip out to Ste. Anne de Bellevue.